Don't Pass and Don't Come: the dark side
Don't Pass and Don't Come bet against the shooter. How they win on the come-out and after the point, why 12 is a push, how to lay odds, and why it's a good bet.
Almost everyone at a craps table bets with the shooter. Don’t Pass bets against them. It’s the Pass Line flipped: you win when the shooter sevens out. Players call it the dark side, and it’s one of the best bets on the table.
How Don’t Pass works
Put your chips in the Don’t Pass bar before the come-out roll.
| Come-out roll | What happens |
|---|---|
| 2 or 3 | You win even money |
| 12 | A push: nobody wins, your bet stays |
| 7 or 11 | You lose |
| 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 | That number becomes the point |
Once a point is on, you want a 7 before the point. A 7 is a seven-out for the table and a win for you. If the point rolls first, you lose.
Why is 12 a push?
Without it, the Don’t side would have the edge over the house. Barring the 12 (some casinos bar the 2 instead) turns that small player advantage into a small house edge. That’s what “Bar 12” printed on the layout means.
You’re the favorite after the point
The come-out is the hard part. 7 and 11 come up eight times in 36 and beat you, while 2 and 3 come up only three times. Once you get past it, the numbers swing your way. There are six ways to roll a 7 and only three ways to roll a 4, so on a point of 4 the odds are 2 to 1 in your favor.
Add it up and the house keeps 1.36% of Don’t Pass bets, a hair less than the 1.41% on the Pass Line.
Laying odds
Once there’s a point, you can back a Don’t bet with odds, called laying odds. Because you’re the favorite, you risk more to win less. Lay odds pay true odds the other way:
| Number | Lay Odds |
|---|---|
| 4 | 1 to 2 |
| 5 | 2 to 3 |
| 6 | 5 to 6 |
| 8 | 5 to 6 |
| 9 | 2 to 3 |
| 10 | 1 to 2 |
Like the Odds on the Pass Line, lay odds have no house edge. Say the point is 4 and you lay $40. If a 7 rolls first, the odds win $20.
Don’t Come
Don’t Come is the same bet made after the point is on. Put chips in the Don’t Come box, and the next roll is that bet’s own come-out:
- 2 or 3: it wins even money.
- 12: a push.
- 7 or 11: it loses.
- Any other number: the dealer moves your chips behind that number. Now it wins on a 7 before that number.
You can lay odds on a Don’t Come bet too. Its house edge is the same 1.36%.
Questions
Is Don’t Pass a good bet?
Yes. It’s one of the cheapest bets in craps, and with lay odds behind it, the house edge on the whole bet gets smaller still. The house edge ranks it near the top.
Why do people say it’s bad manners?
It isn’t against any rule. But when you win, almost everyone else loses, so Don’t players usually cheer quietly. At a PlayCraps table it’s play money among friends, so root however you like.
Can I take my Don’t bet down?
After a point is set, yes. You’re the favorite by then, so taking it down only gives that advantage back. A Pass Line bet is the opposite: it has to stay up until it wins or loses.
Is there a Don’t side in crapless craps?
No. In crapless craps the come-out can’t lose for the Pass Line, so there are no Don’t bets and no Lay bets. Classic tables have them.
What’s a lay bet?
A Don’t bet you make on one number directly, without waiting for a point. It pays true odds less a commission. See Lay bets.
On PlayCraps Live, Darkside Dee plays Don’t Pass and lays odds all week, so you can watch how the dark side does against the table. Play money only: nothing is wagered or paid out.